Nursing Mothers

Scripture says if your eye offends you, pluck it out!

So, should we stop passing the offering plate because someone might be tempted to steal? Who is the one sinning, the usher passing the offering plate or the person who covets the money?

If one has a problem with overeating, are the church ladies going to be held accountable for cooking them a pot luck?

Or what about the men who have a "thing" about long hair? Should all the ladies go get short haircuts so he won't lust?

We have to draw a line somewhere.

 

<sarcasm> Oh what a fun thread! <sarcasm>

Yes Hamel, there are a few subjects about which I am passionate. This is one of them.

Honestly, if my health care provider had an employee who had a problem with women breastfeeding in public, I'd expect them to fire the guy and find someone who could control the direction of his thoughts. Better yet, I'd expect a Christian man who found he couldn't control his thoughts when faced with a room full of newborns and breastfeeding moms to REMOVE HIMSELF from that source of employment and find something else to make a living at. A Christian has no business being in a business that might cause him to sin!

Who brought up Paul? Does Paul have greater authority than Christ? Of course not. That must mean that there is middle ground between causing someone to fall from the faith and that someone being responsible for his own thoughts. You take responsibility for your thoughts and I'll be sure to teach my daughters how to breastfeed discretely. Its an easy thing to do.

 

You bring up a good point, Don, "IF we KNOW something causes a problem."

If a man has a problem with this, he has a few choices:
1. He can avert his eyes and pray God helps him not to lust.
2. He can humbly admit HE has a problem in this area and lovingly make a request to the pastor and/or the husband of the nursing mothers.
3. He can blame the women for for not reading the sin in his mind and demand they follow man-made rules for his benefit.

 

First, I think your history is a comlete fabrication. Second, a woman's breats are not only for feeding children, they're also ornamental and made to be appealing, especially to men.

 

The issue is breastfeeding during the worship service.

What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? —Paul

 

THAT's a new one.

 

Is too.

What issues? You think there are cultures where men don't lust after womens' breasts?

So, it's weird for a man to think a woman's breasts are beautiful, attractive, and something he would yearn to press? What other satisfaction is a young husband to find in the breasts of the wife of his youth? Prov. 5:19

 

Women can stay at home with their newborns.

That good or that oppressed?

 

And still, you don't address the scriptural rules for something like this.

Romans 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Followed by Romans 15:1-2 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

It's easy to say "he has the problem; he should do something about it." What I'm seeing is that it's much harder to say "I'm doing something that causes a weaker brother/sister to stumble or be offended; I should do something about it." Instead, I see Christians who say, "well, I may be doing something that causes him/her to stumble or be offended, but that's their problem; they should do something about it."

Ladies, just pull the blanket over your shoulder, and I'll respect your motherhood. My weaker brothers (including you, Aaron), I'll ask you to avert your eyes or go somewhere else. But if there's a bunch of weaker guys -- well, ladies, I'm gonna ask you to go somewhere else.

 

abc- You can draw up all of the examples that you want to attempt to relieve yourself of what the Scriptures say, but it doesn't change anything. The Scriptures make it clear that we have a duty not to stand on rights where the weaknesses of others might be at risk. To have an attitude that it is not our concern is as far from what Paul is saying as one can get.

I am not going to continue on this because I am less interested in the specific application here than I am of the principle. Regardless of where we stand on this issue, it seems to me that the one argument the Scriptures doesn't allow is "if it causes someone to stumble that's on them...not on me".

 

A question to the anti public breast feeding posters....have you ever spoken to the husbands of these ladies that you are protesting? Do they bear any responsibility?

 

:laugh: Now that is funny!

How many other verses can you find to take out of context? Are you the master of that art?

 

So none of this applies to you, right?

The question from the OP was what do we think about it. I happen to think that it's fine...until someone expresses that they're offended by it. Then you have to answer: are you going to stand by your "rights" and liberty in Christ; or are you going to have some consideration for your weaker brethren?

 

Don't consider myself "anti-public breast feeding"...but yes, the husbands bear some responsibility. If I thought something was improper, I'd take it to the husband. I don't think it's my right or responsibility, or place, to go to another man's wife.

 

Have you tried wearing a hat?

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Edited to add: Seriously, though, there are some things that you can't do anything about. Hair, feet, etc. The things we can do something about (suits, breast-feeding, drinking, watching TV (that one's for some of my more legalistic friends)), we should consider. For example, I turn off the TV when those legalistic friends are over.